Eat. Travel. Eat!

Opened at the start of 2020, Pearl River Deli (PRD) is a burgeoning Cantonese food concept operated by chef Johnny Lee , located next to Howlin Rays in Los Angeles' Chinatown's Far East Plaza. Extensive forum posts on Food Talk Central ( 1 , 2 ) and articles published by  Eater , Los Angeles Times , amongst other outlets, have highlighted the innovative cooking going on: a focused menu of Cantonese classics with the volume turned up alongside weekly specials featuring cuisines not limited to Thai, Vietnamese, Yunnan, and more. Hence, on a recent outing in Los Angeles, I had to make a stop here to experience PRD for myself. I phoned my order in via phone, and got an expected wait time of 20 minutes. The estimate was correct, with my order just about to be boxed up when I arrived. Notably, pickup was rather safe, with payment done at the doorway entrance (hand sanitizer available),  a vinyl shield protecting the employees from the outside, and all employees wearing masks. Outdoo...

Having reached the trough in terms of Chinese restaurant suggestions in San Francisco, we went out scouting for opinions when we were in Chinatown. The lady at Eastern Bakery came up with Far East Cafe for three reasons: cost, cleanliness, and taste. Although the entrance did not reveal much, we took the suggestion and walked in.

After having lunch at Bistro Boudin- Fisherman's Wharf and visiting the Golden Gate Bridge, our next stop was Chinatown. There, we were immersed in scenes full of color and culture. Even banks followed a theme of having Chinese style architecture. A window display of baked goods prompted me to stop at Eastern Bakery. It is located right next to the Wok Shop , but we were not able to visit the Wok Shop as it was already closed for the day. Eastern Bakery, however, was still open and inside, it seemed as if some organization was having a meeting there while enjoying various baked goods.

Driving back from Stanford and the event, we were met with a pleasant sunset; the sun made the green mountains shine even more so, and everything became even more picturesque. During our drive we made dinner plans; after crossing off one Chinese restaurant off the list to visit ( Koi Palace ), we decided to visit another one: R&G Lounge in Chinatown, which our friend recommended us to visit. Parking was easy to find; there is a parking structure that offers validated parking a block or so away from the restaurant. However, getting the seat at the restaurant was not. We forgot to make a reservation, which I highly advise making for any popular restaurant when visiting San Francisco such as this one, and as a result we waited for 45 minutes for an open table. What can one do in a loud, crowded atmosphere with no book? I spent my time taking pictures and learning about how the queue system works instead. Like some restaurants in Hong Kong, R&G utilizes a computerized queue...

After watching the Fountains of Bellagio at 6 in the morning, I did not realize that I would doze off to almost midday! That was very unusual of me as I am the early riser who wants to go out to see things, eat, and get as much as I can out of my vacation while also relaxing. But the fever took over me. After all, it had gotten worse, and the fact that Las Vegas' climate was hotter and drier did not help either. So, it was decided. Healthy, light food for the rest of the day until I felt better. Where else to go for that? Chinatown Plaza! Plus, I could buy some different medicine there. After buying it and taking the medication it was time to find a place to eat. Now where would that be? We had a desire for Vietnamese food so we went to Pho Vietnam. We did want to visit other restaurants, including our favorite Yunnan Garden, but after seeing that Pho Vietnam was the one that had the most customers in Chinatown Plaza plus the fact we were lazy to drive, we decided on Pho Vietnam. ...

This place is almost hidden from everything at the Oriental Plaza at WangFuJing, which the Grand Hyatt Beijing is also connected to. But the xiao long bao here are just simply delicious! We discovered this place two years ago by walking around, hungry for food. And so, we discovered this restaurant! It was not just relatively affordable (about 10-30 RMB for XLB), but it was almost to the fact addicting. Once you ate one XLB, you wanted to eat more! If you love a good amount of soup in the XLB, this place won't disappoint. The circular window allows a great view of people making the different varieties of XLB they serve here. There are several, but none have any "crazy" ingredients. :) Watching the window, I was able to see how they made their XLB's. First, they get a skin which has been rolled out by another worker. Then, using the wooden dowel (which the lady in the photo is doing), a dollop of the meat filling is added. A hole is then made, to house a gelatinous s...

It's a cold day in Las Vegas. The wind is howling which reminds you of last year. When you leave your hotel, you see the nearby tree branches moving. Even the street signs are moving. And you are hungry. You have been pondering all afternoon on what to eat for dinner. Shall we use the Restaurant.com Rosemary's Restaurant certificate? Or shall we use our 2 $30 credit's at Palazzo's Woo? A family member speaks up about wanting to try some Pan-Asian food. After all, you did have some great experiences before at these types of restaurants, like Grand Wok in MGM Grand. And so, the choice is made for Christmas dinner. A quick phone call to ask about the credit as well as about Woo, and you have just reserved a table at Woo. 5:30PM. It's time for dinner. You have left your room which has given you comfort, as well as astounding views of Las Vegas from up from the top. After a quick search, Woo is found. It is dark looking restaurant- the lights are dim, and it is very mode...